Arkansas Blog

Wow. 58.

William F. Buckley, Tim Russert... we've lost some giants this year.

That's sad. I loved watching him do electoral math hypothesis on Election nights. Not to mention, Sunday mornings won't be the same without him. :(

that is too bad. my cardiologist has told me that men in their 40's and 50's have about a 90% fatality rate from heart attacks within 1 year of the occurance. since i have had my first one 14 years ago i started watching my friends who had heart attacks and just from that non scientific study it seems to bear out what he said.

Very sad. Even though he tended to annoy the heck out of me - he was a dang good jounralist/commentator. I agree, razorblad, definitly won't be the same.

Oh, wow. I always liked him.

I deeply regret seeing his life cut short at his age. However I never consider Mr Russert a fair and balanced sort of newsman. I watched him give Darth Cheney a free ride back in 2003 and 04 regarding outsourcing the Iraq Invasion.

Truly a sad day for us politically-oriented people.

NYT reporting it was a coronary embolism, confirmed by NBC.

Such a shock...........can think of sooooo many who I would delight to hear had gone on to
meet their maker.
Always heard the good die young.
Very sad, a great loss, but I always said a perfect way to exit this life....a quick jolt to the
ticker. Hubby always says its not the dying but the getting there, with a massive heart
attack you can skip the getting there.
What will it take to stop Darth Cheney's zillion dollar heart?????
NOT FAIR

Farewell. You will be missed.

While Russert was respected in some circles and even admired, I found his interviewing and reporting, particularly in the run-up to the Iraq war, to be shoddy and one-sided. In all of the appearances by Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc during that time he let them perpetuate lie after lie. But when someone from the other side had something to say, you better believe he had done his research on everything they had ever said and or voted on and was ready to challenge them on it down to the most miniscule point. It's sad when anyone dies, but we should never gloss over their record.

I guess it's sad when anyone dies, everyone has someone who loves and will miss them.

But, I'm not jumping on the "great loss to journalism" wagon. His interview techniques embodied everything that I've grown to despise about mainstream journalism over past quarter century. Constantly using the partial quote playbacks to elicit some defensive posture from the subject. Always leading the pack of yowling jackals off on some flight of fancy and totally missing the obvious outrages shouting in their faces.

Russert and his ilk are largely to blame for turning aside from the earliest Bush calumnies and thus are coequal at fault for our sorry state today.

Sorry to hear he's dead.. but I will miss him like a big pimple my back.. the kind ya can't reach and pop away on your own.

Russert was no journalist, no patriot. He placed GE, ADM and Darth Cheny far ahead of country.

He may have been polite, fun to have a beer with... but his errors of omission (and intent) killed a lot of people, American and foreign.

ANyway.. I hope his family finds some peace in their time of loss... I know I have. Sorry it (the end of Russert on television) couldn't happen another way.

Check out the reactions from Hillaryis44.org:

"Karma baby that is all I will say, first Kennedy and his brain tumor, then the flooding in Iowa and now Russert. Obamatrons beware the wrath of God, you could be next

"Now if only Barack and Michelle would both choke on turkey sandwiches.."

"I'm beginning to think Obama is a curse. Notice what happens to the states that BO wins and the people who pimped for him."

"His dad was a garbage collector. but instead of staying loyal to his working class background he fell head over heels in love with a pampered, spoiled, PRIVILEGED upper-class narcissist and that is what I will remember about him."

"Just wait .. they will blame it on Hillary."

Link at the blue name.

Thought he was a terrible journalist but would have loved the chance to have a few hours with him over wings and beer because he seemed very likeable and friendly and probably had some great stories to tell.

the 4097th and 4098th American soldiers died today in a "war" that had many enablers

i wonder if theirs and their familie's losses will even be noted on the evening network news tonight?

Who will I yell at on Sunday mornings?
I loved Russert even when I disagreed with him
How very, very sad for his family...his poor father outliving his son, nothing sadder.

>>>>Check out the reactions from Hillaryis44.org:<<<<

Wow, just wow.
I have a hard enough time on Taylormarsh, but even the folks over there are not this bad.
To say things things like that...
Just horrid.
and this
"Now if only Barack and Michelle would both choke on turkey sandwiches.."

There's enough hate left in the Hillary camp to spread around apparently. Too bad they can't be more productive and level at those who truly deserve it: the neoconservatives.

Oh come on... I don't read the Hillary blog.. but there is no reason to believe someone who said that wasn't trying to do exactly what happened.. spread crap. And I will betcha.. hopes of direct harm of the Obamas will be pulled from that comment section very soon.. if the website has any mods with scruples (or real connection to the Hillary campaign) whatsoever.

Pouster goes to the gutter once again. Haven't you learned by now that the former greatest country of the world is filled with low life sons of bitches. I imagine every unmoderated blog on the Internet Tubes has some ugly comments about Tim Russert, ya loved him or you hated him or a few of us simply label these people Talking Heads and move on.

We live in a strange time. The Cronkites, Brinkleys, Murrows are all gone. Today's Talking Heads are not after the truth, they're after corporate profits and so they employ the Gotcha moments according to the dictates of the people who sign their checks. Tim Russert usually played Gotcha with the wrong people. He was maddening at times. To be fair, Jon Stewart of the Daily Show does the same thing.....but and it's a big BUT...the Daily Show isn't a NEWS program. Lying little snakes should be grabbed by the neck and throttled, but not in this new world we live in. Oh, unless you're just one of us, one of the little people....then justice is applied at the tip of the lash on a daily basis if you don't watch your Ps & Qs.

So, I'm sorry Tim Russert is dead, he was as close to Hoss Cartwright as we had in modern times. I hope he is replaced by a real newsman or woman who will not play favorites, who will eat the ass off Democrats and Republicans alike when they're lying and hurting the world by letting the crooks keep crooking. If some kind of fairness doesn't come back into our lives.....we're doomed to a fate worse than death.

Max.......get a checkup now!

From what I remember even Jesus' group had some sore losers among them so it's no big deal that a few schmucks from Hillary's camp squeal nonsense. That's also about as noteworthy as the pimple on your back that someone mentioned.
If you go looking in the trash can, we shouldn't be surprised if you find trash.

nice guy, lousy truthseeker

Someone said today that he was able to do a tough interview without being offensive. That is truly a gift in today's climate. I didn't see his broadcast all the time - only occasionally. Sometimes I thought he did a good job and at other times I thought he overlooked the obvious.

Nice man, sorry for his family.

I watched these guys religiously through all the years and through the Clinton years. Haven't been back. Windbags, blowing out the same tune over and over. They jump on band wagons, whether it be impeachment or pre-empt military invasions. DBI is right. These bobble heads today all come our the same factory. Nothing unique about any of 'em.

LA sends me a note about TV commetators. It doesn't exactly fit here, but I don't know where else to put it. So here it goes:

On the same day that I find about the death of Tim I read a newspaper article about the Bro. Gov. closing a deal with Fox to "comment/analyze" politics.

If this is the future of commentary/analysis on networks- include me out. As a kid, we said a dog always goes back to it's own shit. The Bro. has made full cycle to his hummin/strummin roots. At least I will be spared Mika B.'s swooning over the Huckster on MSNBC.

Prouster, there's no reason to go elsewhere to view classless people making disparaging comments about a man when he's barely reached room temperature. Just check out EA, et al. above. To those of you who can't let the news of a man's passing go without spewing some bile: the man's DEAD. Tonight, he has a grieving wife and son who miss him terribly and don't give a damn what you think about him. Can't you let the vitriol go for just one day!?

What vitriol? Remembering the most significant portion of a mans professional life (Helping Cheney lie us into war and perpetuating that lie to this day) That's not our vitriol.. it's his decidedly earned legacy in terms of the effect on our nation..and huge piles of dead and wounded bodies around the world exist to prove it (and the Libby trial etc.).. It's vitriol to correct the historic record and hope history reflects it correctly? he mage horrific errors... best thing possible is we learn from them and never ever forget!

I hope his family is taking time to mourn in familial ways.. wish them the best.

"the 4097th and 4098th American soldiers died today in a "war" that had many enablers

i wonder if theirs and their familie's losses will even be noted on the evening network news tonight?"

Holy cow...I agree with muleboy.

As for Russert, add him to the Clinton death list.

I didn't always agree with Tim, some of his Sunday morning interviews grated on "my last nerve"...but no one did Election Night coverage better,I will miss him in November and during the conventions.
Tim was my age, this is the 2nd person this week who had died suddenly from a heart attack! Its unnerving!

I didn't always agree with Tim, some of his Sunday morning interviews grated on "my last nerve"...but no one did Election Night coverage better,I will miss him in November and during the conventions.
Tim was my age, this is the 2nd person this week who had died suddenly from a heart attack! Its unnerving!
I hope all you middle aged guys are exercising and eating "heart healthy".

I am sure, Tim Russert, the Son, Father, and Husband, will be missed.

He was no journalist.

Tim Russert was a great journalist.

"Remembering the most significant portion of a mans professional life (Helping Cheney lie us into war and perpetuating that lie to this day) That's not our vitriol.. it's his decidedly earned legacy in terms of the effect on our nation..and huge piles of dead and wounded bodies around the world exist to prove it (and the Libby trial etc)"

Eureka, I truly feel sorry for you. You need counseling.

The truth shall set you free, Pines.

Folks, whether he be a soldier in Iraq, a janitor at Hardees, or a journalist/TV personality.... we lost someone with a family, friends and I dare say, a love for this country (whether you agree with how he went about it or not). Can we wait a few days before we judge? Or, our protestations to the contrary, are we just too damn smart and smug to do that?
I dunno, but jeez.... if this thread that essentially attacks a man not yet cold is lberalisim (which I've been accused of daily....), perhaps we deserve criticism.
May he, and all the fallible, rest in peace, and may his family find some solace.

Folks, whether he be a soldier in Iraq, a janitor at Hardees, or a journalist/TV personality.... we lost someone with a family, friends and I dare say, a love for this country (whether you agree with how he went about it or not). Can we wait a few days before we judge? Or, our protestations to the contrary, are we just too damn smart and smug to do that?
I dunno, but jeez.... if this thread that essentially attacks a man not yet cold is lberalisim (which I've been accused of daily....), perhaps we deserve criticism.
May he, and all the fallible, rest in peace, and may his family find some solace.

TIm Russert had a great passion for politics and was very knowledgeable about history and politics. The remainder of the political season will not be the same without him. Whether or not you think he always did his job well, or occasionally failed at it, have some respect for the man and his family. Many of the tributes to him describe how great a mentor, journalist and leader he was and his great love for his country. His colleagues and competitors all mentioned how good he was at what he did and how important his family was to him. I'm sure they are grieving greatly and hateful comments are not appropriate at a time like this. It may be an old saying but apparently there are times like this that some of us need to be reminded-- " If you don't have anything good to say about someone, don't say anything at all."

Public figures get a different deal out of life, most of it for the better, some for the worst. For the most part the remarks on this thread have been respect if not all of them has been in praise of Tim Russert. He lived by the news, and he's died by the news and the news of his dead brings different reactions. Several people at the bar tonight spoke about what a great journalist he was. I held my tongue, what was the point of causing angry words over lovely drinks and good company. I know those who spoke like that actually pay little attention to politics and are probably unaware of the plight America is in today because personally, they are doing very well.

One of the things I've tried to teach my children is that it's not OK to think the world is ducky just because you are doing well. We are white, the plight of the Mexicans are really none of our business. But America would still be in the dark ages if men and women hadn't look around and took pity on those with less. Standing up for the weak is never a vice. Those of us not praising Mr. Russert are doing so because we feel he didn't always do his job. And because of that he along with thousands of others, perhaps some well meaning, allowed the Cheney-Bush debacle to take place, shaming all Americans and undoing over 200 years of tradition and honor.

As you'll remember, Congress has done next to nothing to help. At times like these, a strong news media is the only help and hope we have. Our news media has failed us for going on 10 years. Tim Russert was a part of that failure and shouldn't be excused though I doubt anyone wished him dead, I certainly didn't. It is disingenuous to to heap false praise on someone even in death. Waiting till Thursday to mention a bone one had to pick with Russert is lame. No one on this blog has said YAY....glad Tim is dead! Good on that....but while Tim Russert is safely dead, the rest of us have an ugly future bearing down on us unless we work hard to change it.

Of course our best wishes and prayers go out to the Russert family and too bad Tim will not be here to see how America fares in the future. Almost 4100 US troops will not be here to find out either and maybe if the MSN had done their job better, that number would be zero. Though I doubt it will happen, I'm hoping NBC will think long and hard about a replacement for Tim Russert who might be of more help in leading us out of the Bush wilderness. That's the best thing that could happen for my family and the family of Tim Russert. RIP Tim.

Indeed, NVR...

And...I remember bein' super-pissed at Tim for lobin' soft balls at Cheney several years ago. I also remember that his soft balls were slightly tougher than most...

Anyway, I tip my hat to a good journalist, Tim Russert...be well...

". . . May . . . all the fallible, rest in peace . . ." Oddball

Oddball,

May Bush, Cheney and Rove rest in the same peace they provided for their constituents in their venality, greed, avarice, rapacity, unscrupulous, contemptable, denigration of their offices, and the U.S. Constitutions. Fallibllity does not excuse those three from their earned seats in Dante's Ninth Circle and they will have company.

That personal judgment occurred before their demise; and maybe some or all of the judgments on Russert as journalist, interviewer, and moderator occurred before his death. While the "Thumper's Dad's Theory of Behavior", may be nice for a Disney movie, public media and political figures knowingly place themselves in situations where judgment of their work and/or actions is invited as a part of their chosen profession.

The sniffy comments made by many on this blog about Russert are generated by those who are suspicious of anyone who doesn't 100 percent validate their own viewpoints. Russert wasn't about that. He wasn't on a journalistic jihad for any particular advocacy cause. This embitters the many coarse commenters here who want the daily bluster of Olbermann and nothing less passionate. These people's lack of class today reflects their overall seething anger. I hope to God they never congregate in the same room lest the negative energy cause catastrophic horrors. Tom Shales' column in Saturday's Washington Post says Russert's death is the one thing he never was -- unfair. So are many of the inappropriate comments here tonight.

I doubt Russert's widow and family are checking out the AT blog tonight. At any rate, RIP, Tim. You were what you were.

LORD HELP US. GOOD GRIEF. THE RUSSERT FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE GRIEVING AND MOURNING FOR THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE. AND YOU POND SCUM ARE POSTING THESE WASTE PRODUCTS. HOW UNHUMAN, HOW UN CHRISTIAN, HOW INCONSIDERATE, HOW UNWORTHY OF NOTE YOU ARE. YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED. I GUESS THE MAN WAS ANOTHER ONE TO BLAME FOR KATRINA TOO,. YOU ALL ARE INSANE. WHAT IS IT WITH "YOU PEOPLE" YOU ARE REPULSIVE SLUGS OF HUMANITY.
EVER HEARD OF THE GOLDEN RULE. READ IT YOU MIGHT EVEN UNDERSTAND IT IN YOUR AWFUL OFF THE WALL LIBERAL WAY. FOR PETE'S SAKE, HE WAS ONE OF YOU YELLOW DOG DEMOCRATS. GUESS YOU ALL EAT YOUR YOUNG TOO. ALONG WITH YOUR NO RESPECT FOR LIFE.
YUUUUUKKKKKKKKKK (-------)))))))))))))>

"I didn't always agree with Tim, some of his Sunday morning interviews grated on "my last nerve"...but no one did Election Night coverage better,I will miss him in November and during the conventions." - Nanc

Precisely. I learned so much about electoral politics by watching that man, it's not even funny. Six years of college and 3 degrees paled in comparison by what I learned from watching Russert since I was young. By most accounts (even before his death), he was a very nice, generous, and caring man, that got into politics out of a desire to make the world a better place. If every politico came from that standpoint, our nation would stand strong as the greatest in the world, and would be leading all other nations to their own greatness. True, you're not gonna agree with him in lockstep. How many people have you agreed with 100% of the time anyway? True, he gave the Regime a pass on their case for Iraq. But, if you recall, he was the first to bullshit on several issues when he had the guilty party in front of him (yellowcake, Iraq being involved in 9/11, etc). He was one of the last journalists with a pair of balls big enough to ask difficult questions (most of the time).

I think some of you were nicer to Falwell in his passing...

If only Max would eat one more hubcap burger at Cothams. What a fat turd!!! Your mother (the dietitian) failed miserably in her efforts with her children. Hey Max, you may not drop dead, but we´ve been in Lake Charles where we´re interviewing people who said that while growing up in a very segregated town (and still is), you used the word ´nigger´(more than once, and we have samples on tape). Care to confirm or deny? Get ready, it´s amazing what a trek down south will discover. Is there a reason you never dated black women? Personal preference? Family influence? You "friends" are talking, and we have been savoring this opportunity for years. We´re going to embarrass the shit out of you, soon. The tape merits showing on public TV. Buckle your seatbelt, and in your case, add an extension for that gut.

They are trying to make a human being out of TR which is not unsuspected but still leaves me flabbergasted. Prior 9-11 and Prior Iraq invasion Tim was no less than a fifth arm of the Bush cancer attacking and destroying democrats any democrat especially Hiliary Clinton who he obviously despised and loathed.

Sorry Tim but how long after death will thou get his gods horns.

To Oddball and jack flash, thank you for noting some of what has been such an eye opener for this liberal Democrat. I thought the nasty hate brewed only in conservative circles and that just being a liberal somehow inoculated you against the kind of ugly thinking that allowed one to have no concern for any fellow human being unless they passed your personal test.

My calendar is marked in huge bold black letters that 2008 was when my dream evaporated and I learned that the same strain of hate and ugliness that I thought belonged only on rightwing hate radio and Fox, was alive and well in the midst of the people I thought I belonged with. Makes you wonder if the answer really is to get a bunch of liberal Democrats in office. Will things really be better? How many of those running for office around the country are infected with this level of hate?

Sad

CiCi, you are right to think that liberal democrats are not 100$ pure as snow. It's just as wrong to think conservative republicans are 100% wicked as sin. It just seems that way, but it's now. Remember the fanatical gay-hating group that showed up at soldiers' funerals and condemned them and our country? Remember that it took decades to get a smattering of justice for all the murdered civil rights workers in the South?
I know you're disappointed in those few ate-mongering liberals that made gleeful noises about Russert's death. Thankfully, I don't recall anyone here doing the same. Some here simply pointed out that he wasn't necessarily a saint in their book but offered condolences anyway.
Just wait - when Jimmy Carter goes to that great peanut farm in the sky or Bill Clinton picks up the heavenly saxophone, many of these same critics will do an about face an heap their wrath or scorn upon the legacy of those two.
So, just look at it in perspective - that ability has and will remain a benchmark for good judgment, whether liberal or conservative, democrat or republican, news reporter or average human being.

He was smart and knowledgeable and perceptive about politics, regardless of how you feel about his interviewing style or how his politics informed it. It's a shame that he died so young with a family depending on him.

Amen, John A.

The thing I noticed about Russert was that I was never sure what his politics were. He asked the hard questions of people on both sides of the ticket. You may not have liked the answers they gave, or that Tim didn't push them further but that was his choice of interview style. He was trying to get to the truth without being contentious.

If you watched any of the extensive coverage yesterday, you would know he worked for Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Mario Cuoma--both Democrats. He left politics to work at NBC and in hosting Meet the Press, he found a job he loved and wanted to keep at indefinitely. There was also much discussion of his love of the country and how he tried to ask the questions that he thought that the average guy in Buffalo or Anytown USA would want answered. He may have failed (as did all the media) to ask the right questions and push harder for answers about the Iraq war, but more often than not he was tough and brought back clips of a person's earlier words to bite them. His love of his job and his enthusiasm for politics was obvioius and he changed to face of the Sunday morning talk shows by making them all become better. His legacy is undeniable and there are big shoes to fill. His sudden death is a great loss to his family and to those of us who care about getting our political coverage from a journalist whose knowledge, enthusiasm and fairness will not easily be matched.

I agree with LargeAss.What a bunch of bitchy posts. But we're all used to that on this blog. He made politics interesting. You make me sick. May you all follow him to the grave. Soon.

Since everyone on earth can be a part of our extended family via the TV in our living room, I think some of the people on this thread are forgetting the purpose of the media, which is to question everything that comes across their desk. A good journalist is constantly hunting news, constantly watching for someone in power to cross an ethical line regardless of their position of power or party affiliation.

If there was such as the perfect journalist, he or she would skip Rove rapping and dancing at the Annual Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner. They would keep a safe distance from anyone they might be called to cover. It would be impossible to tell if they were a liberal or a conservative because their only aim would be to seek out the truth and expose the lies that will hurt average people.

The media was invented to protect people, not buddy up with them and do the bidding of one particular group. Like what we used to expect from judges, fair impartial judgment weighing right form wrong, good from bad, liars from truth tellers. This is exactly what we're not getting in the 21st century. Without a critical, objective media all manner of evil will flourish. No journalist should be lobbing softball questions at anyone. It's not their job to be friendly and sociable. They are paid to protect us and so it is particularly galling when they don't. It's worse when you detect them toeing the corporate line. Mr. Russert was far from the most guilty of these sins, but he was guilty at times and because he didn't always do his job, humans have suffered and died and that's a crying shame.

The last thing we need is for our politics to be interesting! We should rather wish them to work as the founding fathers intended. The media blurring of the lines is what allowed a Bush-Cheney to grow and fester and what allows them to stay in power long after a well informed public would have driven them out of office and into the sea. As Richard Clarke admitted in his book, Your Government Has Failed You, so we must admit that our national media has failed us too. Being nice is great, I love Southern manners, but they won't be worth a tinkers damn if our country slips away from us. Be smarter.

AW HA.....now I get the connection.....arenigma, LARGEASS, nemo, Dr. ring ding and I
expect Rebel--- are all one and the same.....troll.
Give em enough rope..............you know the rest.
And, shame on me for letting these worms upset me...........

ARenigma2008 - Your amateurish attempt at character assassination was a failure.

I hope you're first, Jazzy. You miserable goober.